Once again, markets are roiling. As with so many sell-offs, this is a story of pressure building steadily until it must vent. Volatile markets are here to stay, but the next few weeks will tell us whether this episode is a sign of something more ominous to come or just... Show More

Diversification is one of the basic principles of finance, but it’s also often misunderstood. As one of the few genuine ‘free lunches’ in finance, it’s worth busting some of the myths around diversification to clear up these misunderstandings. In this wire, we outline five common myths about diversification. Show More

In some ways the regulatory response that followed in the years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers has been a success. The days of racy balance sheets chasing outsized profits on wafer thin capital are largely over; replaced by a mantra of prudence and bread-and-butter lending to the real economy. Show More

One of the wisdoms commonly held by stock pickers since the early 1980s had been never to bet against the US consumer. The structural decline in interest rates and steady build-up of consumer debt had been fuelling demand for consumer goods and services for several decades. Show More

So far, 2018 has been a difficult year for emerging market (EM) assets, which in the last few months have fared significantly worse than their counterparts in developed markets. This has been due mainly to worldwide issues but also country-specific political uncertainty. Many investors are now asking if the sell-off... Show More

In many countries around the world, July is a month of temporary migration among the populace. On the one hand, offices are quieter, and the roads less congested. On the other hand, railway stations and airports are thronged with people. Yes, the holiday season has begun! Show More

This is one of many sage pieces of advice from my all-time fund management hero, Sir John Templeton, who passed away 10 years ago this month. He was a brilliant man who established the Templeton Growth Fund in the US in 1954 which today is $13 billion in size and... Show More

Getting countries with interests as diverse as those of Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Venezuela to agree on anything is always going to be challenging. Let alone when it involves something as domestically and geopolitically charged as oil. Show More

Over the past 18 months, the term ‘Goldilocks’ has increasingly been used to describe the global economic climate – neither too ‘hot’ to cause rampant inflation, nor too ‘cold’ to fall into recession. In such an environment, interest rates can remain low. This happy set of circumstances has been positive... Show More

"When a country is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win,". This Tweet from President Donald Trump in early March sent chills through markets. The consensus among economists is that these conflicts can in... Show More

The US economic expansion has just become the second longest on record. If it continues beyond mid-2019, it will be number one. Its longevity is probably due to a mixture of circumstances, judgement and luck. The severity of the recession following the global financial crisis (GFC), coupled with the slowness... Show More

Last week, the White House announced tariffs on imported steel and aluminum of 25% and 10% respectively – a move that sparked global indignation and threats of a trade war. But tariffs are more common than you may imagine. Show More

You would have seen the images: identikit tower blocks reaching for the skies; skeletal cranes standing idle; lifeless apartment blocks amid the detritus of construction. Photo editors used to turn to these images to illustrate China's so-called 'ghost cities'. Of late, they seem increasingly apt in indicating a broader malaise:... Show More

India's new government completed its first 100 days in power on September 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was swept into office earlier this year on a wave of euphoria amid hopes the former tea-seller from the state of Gujarat will rescue an economy that in recent years has hopelessly lagged... Show More

Dr Nouriel Roubini says a number of risks to economic growth have declined over the last year, but the risk for advanced economies remains on the downside. Speaking at Aberdeen Asset Management's Investment Conference in New York, Roubini said risks such as a Eurozone collapse, deflation in the US and... Show More

Trends in sentiment and volatility suggest complacency. One of the consequences of central bank policies may be markets characterised by low levels of volatility. Some financial commentators have even talked about the death of volatility. At the same time, investor sentiment has hit bullish 10-year highs last witnessed in August... Show More